Angelani is now relieved of her difficulties thanks to the support of World Vision
By Tatiana Ballay, Communications Officer
Angelani is 14 years old and enrolled in the 5th year of primary school in a public school in the Kalemie territory, in the Tanganyika province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
She comes from a modest family, whose main source of income is farming. She is the second of three children. Her prayer is that children living with disabilities could receive support to facilitate their mobility.
Angelani was born with a congenital malformation affecting one of her two lower limbs. It was almost impossible for her to walk. But since meeting World Vision's ANCP project teams in 2021 (a project funded by World Vision Australia and the Australian Government), she has been given two crutches to enable her to walk easily to and from school. She is now more independent and fulfilled.
"My school is at least 5km from home, and the path is very rocky and muddy. It wasn't easy before to get around and get to school every day. When it rained, I didn't go to school because I used a walking stick as a support and sometimes it got stuck in the mud. World Vision gave me crutches and now I go to school regularly and I can play easily. My dream is to become a dressmaker. I'm going to learn to sew in my spare time, and sewing will help me to pay for my university studies", explains Angelani.
Her school has also received support from World Vision through the rehabilitation of some classrooms. The ANCP project has also introduced an inclusive girls' club at her school, of which Angelani is a member, to help young girls learn about menstrual hygiene and dignity kits. Teachers have been trained to adopt the right reflexes in order to help and educate both girls and boys on specific notions of menstrual hygiene.
Through its ANCP/Tanganyika project, World Vision has distributed monthly health and hygiene kits to the 25 schoolgirl members of the girls' club. To date, almost 1,000 girls enrolled in the clubs in Kalemie schools have received bars of soap, buckets and washable sanitary towels.
"I like to always have essential products like soap and sanitary towels at my disposal," explains Salima, aged 13.
The ANCP project has also supported inclusive education in Tanganyika by giving visibility to children living with disabilities.
"Deaf and dumb children are particularly disadvantaged when it comes to education. Although all children have the right to access quality education, children living with disabilities are often overlooked in efforts to improve access to education. At the same time, they are less likely to attend school and are more at risk of dropping out than other children. In addition to their disability, in the communities, menstruation is a taboo subject that deprives many deaf and dumb girls of access to sanitary protection and sometimes leads to them dropping out of school", explains Kabindi Leonard, Head Teacher in a school supported by the project.
The ANCP project, with its GESI (Gender Equality Social Inclusion) approach, has enabled 40 girls' clubs to be opened in schools in Kalemie. The girls' clubs are divided into three categories according to the stage of puberty. The mentors adapt accordingly to teach them the lessons appropriate to each category. The average number of girls in a club is 25. Girls at level three are given a plastic bucket, soap, two pairs of underwear and four washable sanitary towels. Girls in level two are often old enough to have their first menstrual period. For this reason, schools are provided with hygiene kits to help young girls in the event of embarrassment or discomfort at school. For those in level one, preparation lessons are given to prepare them for the change. The mentors are qualified teachers. They are trained in sexual and reproductive health. This approach is supported by the Congolese authorities through the Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education (EPST). Two gender and child protection focal points in the two sub-divisions of Kalemie 1 and Kalemie 2 supervise the forty mentors.